Hijacking Puts Australia on Terror Alert

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, February 19, 2003

A man armed with a bayonet hijacked a light plane and forced its pilot to make a 90-minute flight across eastern Australia, prompting national authorities to swing into anti-terror mode, officials said Thursday.

The alleged hijacker, identified as Kelly Witchard, was arrested Wednesday afternoon after the plane landed safely in the eastern town of Mackay.

Witchard, 28, allegedly commandeered the plane, a six-seat Cessna, at an airfield northeast of the city of Rockhampton and ordered its pilot to fly about 185 miles to Mackay.

Federal authorities were alerted to the hijacking soon after the plane took off, a spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson said Thursday.

"The communication between the state and federal agencies worked well … but it started to become apparent fairly early that it was a criminal rather than a security problem," said Paul Chamberlain.

Security agencies, the attorney general's office and the transport minister were all alerted while the plane was still in the air, Chamberlain said.

A senior police officer in Mackay said he had feared an act of terrorism.

"In the back of my mind was overshooting the airport or coming into Mackay city," Police Chief Superintendent Garry Harland told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Witchard, of Rockhampton, appeared in Mackay Magistrates Court on Thursday. He faces nine charges including unlawful use of an aircraft. He was not required to enter a plea.